RV: [MAILAMERICA] MISC: GAO Premio Nobel Alternativo

["Julio" <julfb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have received this message from another list and I want to share with you
and the cuban members.
Congratulations to the Grupo de Agricultura Organica and the cuban
revolution. This is a little victory of socialism.
Julio F.B.

----- Original Message -----
From: Vicent Sanz <sanz@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailamerica@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 1999 12:14 PM
Subject: [MAILAMERICA] MISC: GAO Premio Nobel Alternativo


> Estimados/as amigos/as de Mailamerica,
>
> desde este medio queremos felicitar al Grupo de Agricultura Organica (GAO)
> de Cuba, por la consecucion del Premio Nobel Alternativo. Asimismo
queremos
> aprovechar estas lineas para felicitar a todos sus miembros y
> congratularnos de la presencia de Reinaldo Funes -miembro del GAO- en
> nuestra Universidad (Universitat Jaume I).
>
> Felicidades,
>
> CIAL
> Universitat Jaume I
>
> ---------------
>
> A continuacion enviamos un extracto de la comunicacion de prensa enviada
al
> efecto:
>
> PRESS RELEASE
> >
> >FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> >CONTACT: ANURADHA   MITTAL
> >October 6, 1999
>
> >
> >Alternative Nobel Prize Goes to Cuban Group Promoting the Organic
Revolution
> >
> >STOCKHOLM and OAKLAND: The Grupo de Agricultura Organica (GAO), the Cuban
> >organic farming association, which has been at the forefront of the
> >country's transition from industrial to organic agriculture, was named as
> >winner of a major international prize--the Right Livelihood
> >Award--commonly known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize.'
> >
> >The Grupo de Agricultura Organica is one of four winners of the 1999
Right
> >Livelihood Award, chosen from more than 80 candidates from 40 countries.
> >GAO brings together farmers, farm managers, field experts, researchers,
and
> >government officials to develop and promote organic farming methods.  Its
> >aim is to convince Cuban farmers and policy-makers that the country's
> >previous high-input farming model was too import-dependent and
> >environmentally damaging to be sustainable, and that the organic
> >alternative has the potential to achieve equally good yields.
> >
> >"This award is truely an honor for Cuba, for GAO, and for all the
farmers,
> >researchers, and policy makers who have struggled to make organic farming
> >work in Cuba," said Dr. Fernado Funes Aguilar, President of GAO.  "We
hope
> >that our efforts will demonstrate to other countries that conventional
> >chemically-dependent agriculture is not the only way to feed a country."
> >
> >During the 1990s Cuba overcame a severe food shortage caused by the
> >collapse of its trade relations with the former Soviet-bloc and the
> >intensification of the
> >on-going U.S. trade embargo.  Self-reliant organic farming played a
> >significant role in overcoming the crisis.
> >
> >GAO was founded in 1993 as the Asociacion Cubana de Agricultura Organica
> >(ACAO), but recently changed its name when it was legally incorporated as
> >part of the Cuban Association of Agricultural and Forest Technicians
> >(ACTAF).  Over the past five years it has built up an impresive program
of
> >lobbying, training courses, workshops, documentation centers,
demonstration
> >farms, and exchange visits for farmers, and has held three international
> >conferences.
> >
> >"I hope this award will awaken the world to the amazing achievements Cuba
> >has made in organic farming and food security", said Martin Bourque,
> >Sustainable Agriculture Program Director of Food First/The Institute for
> >Food and Development Policy.   "Through their hard work,innovation, and
> >scientific excellence, GAO and the whole Cuban agricultural sector have
> >demonstrated that low-input sustainable agriculture can work on a
national
> >scale." Food First has had a scientific and technical exchange program
with
> >GAO, and will co-sponsor GAO's Fourth National Encounter on Organic
> >Agriculture in May of the year 2000.
> >
> >GAO is the first Cuban winner of the Right Livelihood Award.  It shares
the
> >prize money of SEK 1,800,000 (approximately USD 225,000) with a Colombian
> >network, Consolidation of the Amazon Region (COAMA), working for
indigenous
> >rights and biodiversity, and with Chilean-Spanish lawyer Juan Garces, who
> >is honored for his untiring efforts over many years to bring the former
> >Chilean dictator, General Pinochet, to justice.  One of the world's
leading
> >promoters of solar energy, Hermann Scheer, receives an honorary award.
> >
> >The prizes will be presented at a ceremony in the Swedish Parliament on
> >December 9, the day before the conventional Nobel Prizes.  Founded in
1980,
> >the Right Livelihood Award has honored more than 80 outstanding
individuals
> >and organizations for work contributing to a better future for the world.
> >
> >Peter Rosset, executive director of Food First, said: "This award shows
the
> >enormous potential of sustainable agriculture, so underexploited in other
> >countries.  The whole world should learn from Cuba."  Dr. Rosset went on
to
> >say that "in Cuba, organic is for everyone, not just for those who can
> >afford it."
> >
> >For more information on GAO or Food First, you can contact GAO or Food
> >First staff
> >members who are available for comment, and access the following website:
> >
> >http://www.foodfirst.org/progs/global/cuba
> >
> >
> >Grupo de Agricultura Organica (GAO)
> >Tulipan 1011 e/Loma y 47
> >Apdo. Postal  6236C
> >Codigo Postal 10600, Nuevo Vedado
> >Ciudad de La Habana
> >CUBA
> >Phone: +53 7 845 387
> >Fax.   +53 7 845 387
> >Email: actaf@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> >Right Livelihood Award Administrative Office
> >P.O. Box 15072
> >S-104 65 Stockholm
> >SWEDEN
> >Tel: +46 (0) 8 702 03 40
> >Fax: +46 (0) 8 702 03 38
> >E-Mail: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >http://www.rightlivelihood.se
> >
> >Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy
> >398 60th Street
> >Oakland, CA 94618
> >USA
> >Phone: (510) 654-4400
> >Fax:   (510) 654-4551
> >Email: foodfirst@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >http://www.foodfirst.org
> >
> >###
> >
> >
> >Anuradha Mittal
> >Policy Director
> >Institute for Food and Development Policy - Food First
> >398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618 USA
> >Phone: (510) 654-4400  Fax: (510) 654-4551
> >http://www.foodfirst.org
> >
> >
>
> Martin Bourque, M.A.
> Sustainable Agriculture Program Director
> Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First)
> martinazo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> tel: 510.654.4400  fax: 510.654.4551
> www.foodfirst.org
> 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618 USA
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Direccion de contacto MAILAMERICA
> Vicent Sanz
> sanz@xxxxxxxxxx
> Centro de Investigaciones de America Latina-CIAL
> Universitat Jaume I
> http://www1.uji.es/cial
> ---------------------------------------------
>